If you read my intro for my Movie Mondays, I told you that I would be writing each week on my favorite movie. I am saddened to say that because I was so busy this week, that movie is “When the Bough Breaks.”
I could tell you a dramatized story about how Taco Bell took 20 minutes to get me my food, so I was unable to make it the showing of “Snowden.” But let me assure you, next week, I will be giving you an epic review of “Snowden.”
The plot of “When the Bough Breaks” revolves around John and Laura Taylor, who are desperate to have a child. In order to accomplish their dream, they seek a surrogate and pick a young woman named Anna.
Now with that synopsis out of the way, as I did with my previous review, here’s a summary of what others are saying about “When the Bough Breaks” — get used to this format.
The biggest problem that film critics have with the movie is that it’s the same story rehashed with nothing new, and this isn’t just a “There’s only five plots that every story follows” problem.” It’s worse.
“Apparently, John and Laura don’t go to the movies much, because if they did, they would know that whenever you invite a third person into your happy domestic bubble, whether it’s a roommate or an exchange student or a nanny, only bad things can happen,” writes Neil Genzlinger in The New York Times.
Genzlinger goes on to blame the lack of suspense on the fact that this film has already been done.
I would go a step further and blame the lack of suspense on the creative team behind the preview of “When the Bough Breaks.”
What starts with lackluster acting only gets worse as I realized that the only horror, mystery or suspense in this movie I already saw in the preview. I understand that they have to get people to want to see the film, but claiming a movie’s genre is mystery and then leaving no mystery is just false advertising.
If this had been my only problem, then I wouldn’t have hated it as much as I did, because most films are ruined by their previews. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
The movie is rated PG-13, and I understand that statistically speaking, that means more people will go and see the film, but it would’ve been better if they would’ve made it R-rated.
I know that that might not be the popular opinion in Utah, but what resulted from a forced PG-13 rating was horrible camera angles, awkward acting and slow plot progression.
And sadly, there was even more that made the movie deserve this review. John Taylor becomes a male savior for the women in the film. He represents the one “true” love that Anna is able finally to find.
(Spoiler Alert) In the end, he demands that Laura stay behind, so he can put his life in danger to save their child from the maniac. Laura has the potential to accomplish so much more but is left to sit in a car while a man saves her (Spoiler Alert Over).
I think its suffices this review to simply say that I wouldn’t pay to see this movie in the theaters — just watch the preview and you get the gist of the entire suspense.
